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README.markdown

Elasticsearch REST API JSON specification

This repository contains a collection of JSON files which describe the Elasticsearch HTTP API.

Their purpose is to formalize and standardize the API, to facilitate development of libraries and integrations.

Example for the "Create Index" API:

{
  "indices.create": {
    "documentation":{
      "url":"https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/indices-create-index.html"
    },
    "stability": "stable",
    "url":{
      "paths":[
        {
          "path":"/{index}",
          "method":"PUT",
          "parts":{
            "index":{
              "type":"string",
              "description":"The name of the index"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    "params": {
      "timeout": {
        "type" : "time",
        "description" : "Explicit operation timeout"
      }
    },
    "body": {
      "description" : "The configuration for the index (`settings` and `mappings`)"
    }
  }
}

The specification contains:

  • The name of the API (indices.create), which usually corresponds to the client calls

  • Link to the documentation at the https://elastic.co website.

    IMPORANT: This should be a live link. Several downstream ES clients use this link to generate their documentation. Using a broken link or linking to yet-to-be-created doc pages can break the Elastic docs build.

  • stability indicating the state of the API, has to be declared explicitly or YAML tests will fail

    • experimental highly likely to break in the near future (minor/patch), no bwc guarantees. Possibly removed in the future.
    • beta less likely to break or be removed but still reserve the right to do so
    • stable No backwards breaking changes in a minor

  • Request URL: HTTP method, path and parts

  • Request parameters

  • Request body specification

NOTE If an API is stable but it response should be treated as an arbitrary map of key values please notate this as followed

{
  "api.name": {
    "stability" : "stable",
    "response": {
      "treat_json_as_key_value" : true
    }
  }
}

Type definition

In the documentation, you will find the type field, which documents which type every parameter will accept.

Querystring parameters

Type Description
list An array of strings (represented as a comma separated list in the querystring)
date A string representing a date formatted in ISO8601 or a number representing milliseconds since the epoch (used only in ML)
time A numeric or string value representing duration
string A string value
enum A set of named constants (a single value should be sent in the querystring)
int A signed 32-bit integer with a minimum value of -231 and a maximum value of 231-1.
double A double-precision 64-bit IEEE 754 floating point number, restricted to finite values.
long A signed 64-bit integer with a minimum value of -263 and a maximum value of 263-1. (Note: the max safe integer for JSON is 253-1)
number Alias for double. (deprecated, a more specific type should be used)
boolean Boolean fields accept JSON true and false values

Backwards compatibility

The specification follows the same backward compatibility guarantees as Elasticsearch.

  • Within a Major, additions only.
  • If an item has been documented wrong it should be deprecated instead as removing these might break downstream clients.
  • Major version change, may deprecate pieces or simply remove them given enough deprecation time.

Deprecations

The specification schema allows to codify API deprecations, either for an entire API, or for specific parts of the API, such as paths or parameters.

Entire API:

{
  "api" : {
    "deprecated" : {
      "version" : "7.0.0",
      "description" : "Reason API is being deprecated"
    },
  }
}

Specific paths and their parts:

{
  "api": {
    "url": {
      "paths": [
        {
          "path":"/{index}/{type}/{id}/_create",
          "method":"PUT",
          "parts":{
            "id":{
              "type":"string",
              "description":"Document ID"
            },
            "index":{
              "type":"string",
              "description":"The name of the index"
            },
            "type":{
              "type":"string",
              "description":"The type of the document",
              "deprecated":true
            }
          },
          "deprecated":{
            "version":"7.0.0",
            "description":"Specifying types in urls has been deprecated"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Parameters

{
  "api": {
    "url": {
      "params": {
        "stored_fields": {
          "type": "list",
          "description" : "",
          "deprecated" : {
            "version" : "7.0.0",
            "description" : "Reason parameter is being deprecated"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

License

This software is licensed under the Apache License, version 2 ("ALv2").